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30.9.08

The WESTINGHOUSE PROJECT Over 40 artists have been working since early spring to make artwork inspired by and often created from the ruins of the recently demolished Westinghouse factory in Newark, NJ. In addition to photographs, video, paintings, drawings, sculptures, lighting, furniture, fashion, poetry and installations, the opening reception will showcase two live bands, a buffet and open bar. Saturday, October 11th, from 5-11pm at the NJ School of Architecture’s Gallery. (corner of MLK Blvd and Warren St…. 113 Summit St. Newark).A film screening (part of Newark’s Open Studio Tour) will be on 10.25.08 from 7-10pm Regular viewing: M-F from 9am-4pm until December 3Participating artists Les Ayre, Jeanne Brasile, Phillip Buehler, Ada Caro, Jessica Dalrymple, Kevin Darmanie, Andrew Demirjian, Anne Dushanko-Dobek, Raeford Dwyer, Rachel Ehrgood, Chris Funkhouser, Seth Goodwin, Matthew Gosser, Carlo Grassini, Leslie Granda Hill, William Kerr, Robert Lach, Felipe Londono, Eleonora Luongo, Rebecca Major, Kevin Merkle, Maria Mijares, Linda Morgan, Beth Ann Morrison, Marco Munoz, Sara Nordstrom, Kathryn Okeson, William Randolph Oliwa, Alexandra Pacula, Holli Schorno, Adejoke Tugbiyele Sedita, DC Smith, Jacqueline Smith, William Smith, Joan Sonnenfeld, Susan Stair, Charlee Swanson, Tamas Szalczer, Amanda Thackray, Cindy Tower, Pete Tuomey, Katalin Vilim, Joe Waks, Ernest Shukara Walker, Anker West, Troy West, Polina ZaitsevaThe WESTINGHOUSE PROJECT is the latest Ar+chaeology exhibition to be hosted by the New Jersey School of Architecture Gallery. “Ar+chaeology” is an art movement concerned with the exploration of culturally significant abandoned buildings and the transformation of found artifacts into artwork that speaks somehow of the places they were found. Previous exhibitions of this nature have promoted a greater appreciation of sites such as the Pabst Brewery, the old Essex County Jail and the Mulberry Street Firehouse in Downtown Newark.Historical background of Westinghouse in Newark The recently demolished Westinghouse factory spanned two city blocks adjacent to Broad Street Train Station just north of Downtown Newark. The original 4-story brick factory was built in 1890 along the eastern edge of the site. A year later, George Westinghouse acquired the United Electric Light Company (an 1878 structure on the western edge of the site). During the early 1900’s, the properties between those buildings were purchased, razed and replaced by structures joining the complex into a seamless 4-story brick façade bounding Orange Street, University Avenue and Lackawanna Plaza.The first products made in the Newark factory were trolley motors, electrical switchboards, arc lamps, volt meters and watt-hour meters, most of which benefitted from advancements made by Nikola Tesla in the area of AC electricity. By the 1920’s, Westinghouse’s Meter Division (as it was now known) had increased production to a wide variety of meters, protective relays, electric fans and radio speakers… as well as housing one of the country’s earliest radio stations (The first world series was broadcast from the roof of the building). During WWII, the Meter Division focused on supplying shock-proof relays, gauges and instrumentation for military use in tanks, planes and warships. At the height of its activity in the 1950’s and 60’s, the factory produced over a thousand varieties of relays, electrical instruments and tele-metering/switchboard equipment.In order to keep up with production, the interior courtyard was converted into a warehouse and by 1969 a 5-story modernist building capped the western edge of the 500,000 sq. ft. complex. Soon after however, Westinghouse began shutting down its operations and by 1984 had vacated and sold the property to a consortium of developers that tried unsuccessfully to rehabilitate the complex.For more info: http://www.gosser.info/ or contact (973) 596-3080